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Barony of Whitewater
The Barony of Whitewater is a small province in the greater Redridge mountains, some way above Crystal Lake. It is dominated by steep cliffs and by rapidly flowing springs, brooks and small rivers, which feed into the lakes and rivers of Elwynn Forest. Currently held by the House of Leifeld, it is a relatively peaceful domain save for clashes with Dark Iron and Blackrock forces, with an economy dominated by small vineyards and farms, supplemented by profitable gold operations exploiting the extensive alluvial deposits. While not nearly so productive as the great pit mines and deep-tunnel digs, these mines have served to ensure the relative prosperity of the House of Leifeld. Geographical Context Noteworthy Sites Castle Abraham Gudryk Largely abandoned in the aftermath of the First War, Gudryk was a marked oddity in the demographics of the Kingdom of Azeroth. A sizeable minority of the population consisted of High Elves, brought south by varied causes, often in the company of the Vashafna band of gypsies, a number of whom also settled on site. Some of the finest wine country in the barony, Gudryk swiftly developed a distinctive cultivar of red wine grape, which coupled with techniques and a magically-altered yeast used in Quel'thalas's wine industry to produce extraordinary wines. However, with the pillage of Azeroth at the hands of the Orcish Horde, Gudryk was burned and its inhabitants killed or displaced. A number of the refugees settled further West in the Reconstruction, but Gudryk itself briefly recovered before its ultimate demise shortly after the Third War, when the bulk of the male population volunteered to venture north in a relief effort for the Kingdom of Lordaeron. With the bulk of the manpower supporting the vineyards lost to a terrible fate, they declined and ultimately collapsed, and the signature wines of the region have since been lost - though wine merchants have compared the wines produced by the Elven House of Starshadow, known to have had loose kin in the region, and found them remarkably similar. Economy For its small size, Whitewater boasts a robust economy, with the main source of income being the wines produced throughout the barony. While the vast profits once brought in by the (taxed) sale of Gudryk wines have diminished, most wines from Whitewater are well received in the capital and in Goldshire, creating sufficient demand to ensure the wine industry continues to dominate the local economy. Supplementary, in recent years, has been the sale of grain; however, the mountainous terrain is not ideal for extensive cultivation of grain crops and only the skyrocketing prices following the near-total collapse of the agricultural economy of Westfall has allowed such sales to be profitable. More frequently sold are olives, which - though generally preferring coastal climes - grow well in some of the lower areas of the barony, where the granite and other igneous rocks give way to limestone. Gold The presence of extensive, though low concentration, alluvial deposits of gold has further fortified the economy of the barony. However, in an unusual decision, the House of Leifeld refuses to allow full-scale exploitation of the deposits. Believing, based on observation of other gold-rich provinces, that an economy structured largely around the extraction and exportation of gold is an inherently volatile one prone to sudden and catastrophic collapse, the House of Leifeld permits only relatively minor placer deposit extraction. The flow of gold is low, but sufficient to ensure that lean years do not unnecessarily deplete the Barony coffers or impede on the payment of the King's taxes. As a consequence, inflation is kept under relatively tight control compared to certain other provinces with gold-based economies, and the economy has largely avoided the feared volatility. Category:House of Leifeld Category:County Forddham